Use of virtual manipulatives in Kindergarten

I used the smartboard to model the use of tesselations to make pictures with the available shapes.  These shapes are similar to the manipulatives used in the classroom, so the children were able to make an immediate connection. 

Once I modeled how to manipulate the shapes, change the size and color, the students took turns adding shapes to make a "class" picture.  The following day, the children used the site to make their own pictures at centers.  I chose to use the site over a three week period to observe how the children used the shapes.  Over the course of that time, the students learned how to rotate, manipulate, and adjust the shapes in a very advanced way.  I realized that if I had only left the site up for a week, the children would not have had the opportunity to advance their application of knowledge.

By Sheryl Magner